Shloka 9

नहुषोपाख्यानम्—दीपदान-धूप-बलीकर्म-प्रशंसा

Nahūṣa Episode and the Commendation of Lamp-Gifting and Household Offerings

Devanagari script

स्‍्नानेनाद्धिश्न यत्‌ कर्म क्रियते वै विपश्चिता । नमस्कारप्रयुक्तेन तेन प्रीयन्ति देवता:

Transliteration

snānenāddhiśna yat karma kriyate vai vipaścitā | namaskāra-prayuktena tena prīyanti devatāḥ |

Translation

Bhishma nói: “Bất cứ nghi lễ nào bậc trí giả thực hiện sau khi tắm gội, nếu kèm theo lễ bái cung kính, đều làm chư thiên hoan hỷ. Những việc như dâng nước cúng (tarpana) và các phép hành trì liên hệ, khi được làm đúng nghi thức và với lòng tôn kính, sẽ đem lại hòa khí và điềm lành cho sự thờ phụng trong gia thất.”

Word by Word

• {'snānena': 'by bathing

• after bathing (instrumental of snāna)', 'yat': 'whatever

• that which', 'karma': 'ritual act

• rite', 'kriyate': 'is performed

• is done', 'vai': 'indeed

• certainly (emphatic particle)', 'vipaścitā': 'by the wise

• by one of discernment', 'namaskāra': 'salutation

• homage', 'prayuktena': 'accompanied/connected with

• employed with (instrumental of prayukta)', 'tena': 'by that

• thereby', 'prīyanti': 'are pleased

• become satisfied', 'devatāḥ': 'the gods

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Devatāḥ (gods/divine beings)
• Snāna (ritual bath)
• Namaskāra (salutation)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ritual actions gain their full religious efficacy when grounded in purity (bathing) and performed with reverence (namaskāra); such respectful observance is said to please the gods.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he explains that a wise person’s post-bath rites—done with salutations—are pleasing to the divine, emphasizing proper attitude and procedure in daily worship.